


Land and Sea

by wood_c_thrush



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Avengers Family, Bottom Steve, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Dom/sub, M/M, Magic, Protective Bucky Barnes, Sappy, Top Bucky Barnes, True Love, selkie bucky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-16 02:19:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7248178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wood_c_thrush/pseuds/wood_c_thrush
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magic is all around, but most have forgotten.  Steve remembers, though, and is forever grateful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Land and Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mischiefmanaged95](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischiefmanaged95/gifts).



> Heavily inspired by greenbergsays on Tumblr and her lovely Stucky AUs, and the love FawkesFlame123 and I share of fantasy stories. This is a mish-mash of different legends and mythologies from the Celtic region, meaning Ireland, Wales, and Scotland primarily, and a touch of my own invention. Also, it’s all ridiculously fluffy, cause that’s just how I roll. The legends of the area are extremely varied, though nonetheless rich and beautiful; I definitely recommend checking some out. The language Bucky uses is Irish Gaelic. Enjoy!
> 
> Translations in the end notes.

 

“Alright, settle down," Sarah called over.  "Leave those be, and I’ll tell you a story before you sleep." 

As always, it worked like a charm; her little sunshine abandoned his scribbles on butcher-paper scraps and hopped into bed, sporting a wide grin.  “What would you like to hear tonight?” she asked, carding a hand through his hair as he gazed up from the lumpy pillow.

“The selkies!” the four-year-old cried, wiggling in anticipation. Sarah laughed to herself.  She’d told and retold and even created new legends of her homeland for him, yet he never tired of his favorite.

“Long ago, yesterday, and today,” she murmured, Steve bouncing excitedly with the familiar beginning, “the Fair folk ruled over Éire, as is their right and responsibility.  The Sidhe spread their magic across the land, keeping it beautiful and evergreen.  Their magic gave life and birth to – “

“The leprechauns,” Steve interrupted, and Sarah laughed again.

“The leprechauns, the faeries, and the selkies,” they recited together, her son’s eyes sparkling like he knew a special secret. 

“All are loving and generous, brought into the world by the goodness and hope of men and Fae,” she continued.  “Though they are powerfully mischievous, almost seeming cruel, should darkness be poisoning your heart.  But they only ever mean to help correct your way.”

Her son’s beautiful blue eyes stayed fixed on hers, rapt with attention.  “And if you are kind, brave, and good,” he whispered.

“And if you are kind, brave, and good,” Sarah whispered back, “they will always watch over you.  The leprechauns over rolling hills and fields, faeries in forest, garden, and glen, and selkies in the sea.” 

She drew breath to continue but paused, as Steve was seized by a coughing fit, little fist muffling the wheeze.  Her heart clenched in her chest.  Not for the first time, she gently rubbed his back, silently praying to God, the saints, and the Fair folk alike that her beautiful son wouldn’t always suffer so. 

Steve smiled up at her when it subsided, tears in his eyes from the exertion.  “’M fine, Ma.  Keep telling!”

Sarah gulped and nodded, offering him water from the bedside table.  “The selkies are stunning creatures, born of the sea but granted the gift of walking on land at will.  They often rescue those lost in the depths, keeping them from drowning.  And when they see people whose heart's deepest longings remain unfulfilled, they shed their seal-skin and come ashore to offer comfort, and… companionship,” she hedged, as Steve was too young to understand exactly the kind of company they granted. 

“The offer to keep a selkie-skin is the promise of true love, as they pledge themselves to you forever, and ask the same in return.  But if you’ve been chosen by a selkie, you can be sure they will always love and care for you.  They can see down, down, down into the depths of your soul, so they always know how to help.”

“What’s a soul?” Steve interjected, little eyebrows furrowed together.

“Well, a soul is… who you are, deep inside,” she answered.  “Where your heart and mind meet together to show exactly who Steven Grant Rogers is.  Few people will truly see it,” she warned, “but those who do are the ones you hold on to, you hear me?”

Steve’s face scrunched up further in confusion.  “Yes, Ma,” he yielded anyway, and she chuckled.

“I’ll explain it when you’re older,” she promised.

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

She never got the chance.          

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

70 years, a rude awakening, and a lot of time on the Internet blurred by, days blending to weeks to months.  Through it all, Steven Grant Rogers hadn’t thought once about his mother’s stories, not since before the mad science experiment that’d healed him in ways the Sidhe never did.  But, he had greater worries in the future, anyway.  Right now, it was the squad of mercenaries gunning for his head aboard the oil rig he was reclaiming.

“Three coming your way, Nat,” he said into the comm link as he launched his shield. Two heads and a metal pole bounced it back to his arm, just as the morning sun peeked over the horizon.  “Tony, that leak fixed yet?”

“Oh, yeah!  Just needs a repulsor blast, cause that would definitely _not_  cause unwanted explosions.  I'll tell Davey Jones you say hi!” he snarked back, metal clanging and grinding in the background.

“Get it done!” Steve ordered exasperatedly, dodging a hail of gunshots from above.  “Natasha, I could use your he – “

A clank of metal, a glance towards the sound, and Steve ducked behind his shield.  It was too late to cover himself from the grenade blast, throwing back and over and down, down, down…

He closed his eyes before he hit the water, two hundred feet of air rushing in his ears.  At least drowning was meant to be peaceful.

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

Bucky wasn't sure what had brought him to this cove, this morning, this time.  The fish were scarce, scared off by the human structure built tall and deep, making the seas taste of metal.  He greatly preferred cleaner waters, where his kind still congregated in fellowship, even as one or two slipped away to the land – to the humans – for a time, returning with new stories of life ashore.

He slipped through the chilled currents, pondering and reflecting.  It had been some time since he had shed his skin and gone ashore with a human, and he was restless for an opportunity.  To help emotionally, to comfort physically, to inspire change with a spark of his magic was both a joy and a responsibility, a calling the selkies embraced whole-heartedly despite recognition of their gifts growing scarcer and scarcer.  Nowadays, even the most pure-hearted had forgotten the magic weaved into their nature, trying to trade it for distraction, technology, and cleverness.  No one realized or recalled the source of their inspiration and guidance along the way. 

But still, the selkies took it upon themselves to give some small awareness of what had been lost, and traces of magic could be seen in the smiles of their charges when they left the next day.  Seeing their humans satisfied and renewed, sharing just a candle-flicker of magic in a world that needed it, made everything worth it.

Leaping over cresting waves, just for the joy of it, he contemplated the lingering insistence that kept him there, waiting for some sign.  It could be some mischief of Lir, or perhaps even the  _Máthair_  herself, his benevolent but occasionally mysterious goddess.  Perhaps, some change was just around the corner for himself, this time.  

The thought excited him, anticipation growing.  He loved his life, his friends and family and the sea, but had always felt something… missing.  The time he spent ashore filled the hole for a time, but never fully.  The smiles he teased out with a cocksure wink made him grin as well.  Men and women blushing shyly, encouraged by his quicksilver tongue, gave his spirit joy.  The satisfaction with which they returned to their lives the next day renewed his faith.  But, it never lasted.

Bucky took a deep breath at the surface, filling his lungs with fresh sea air.  Whatever was coming, he would be ready.  He was a patient selkie.  He would wait for the right moment, the right human to aid, and keep hoping that his longings would be fulfilled, too.

A few moments later, he was darting around the metal legs of the human contraption, careful not to catch his fur, when a tremendous splash from above startled him.  The next moment, a new taste filtered through the water, and he shot towards the source in alarm.  It was a man, sinking like a rock to the cold depths, and Bucky felt a pull in his gut, realized the reason he was there.  The next moment, he slipped from his skin, powerful human legs pumping furiously upwards. He clutched his fur in one arm, caught the man with the other and dragged them both towards safety.

Moments later, they breached the surface, and Bucky gasped for air, head spinning.  The man’s head lolled on his shoulders, unresponsive.  “It’s alright,” Bucky rasped anyway, voice hoarse from disuse.  “You’re alright, I’m bringing you to shore.”  He panted and puffed, dragging the man’s head back out of the water as he rode the waves to land.

When his feet touched the ground, he threw his skin aside and laid the man on pale sand, sunrise painting the sky red above.  His rescue remained still, skin white and clammy, and rivulets of water streamed to the ground off his chest.  Bucky touched a hand to his odd clothing, sensing the water in his lungs, and whispered a few lilting words.  Carefully, slowly, he drew his hand upwards, the water and magic following to the human’s open mouth.  Bucky floated the water out, droplets swirling, and cast it aside.  As he finished, the man gasped, cut off by choking coughs and convulsions.

“That’s it, breathe,” Bucky encouraged, leaning back to give him space.  As his lungs restarted, Bucky took a moment to study his rescue, and the sight didn’t disappoint.  The man was tall, as tall as he, but leaner in build.  Strong, though, muscled to perfection beneath the streamlined uniform of red, white, and blue.  His smooth, lovely face could’ve been crafted by the Fair folk themselves, framed beautifully by long eyelashes and plush lips.  Even more incredibly, he wasn’t shivering; a hardy man, to be sure. 

A minute later, the man’s coughing and shaking subsided, and he looked up in wonder.  “Quite a fall, there,” Bucky teased with a smile, drinking in the sight of endless, ocean-blue eyes.  “Perhaps practice your diving form, before next time.”

The man gaped, surprised and possibly in shock.  He said nothing, and Bucky’s stomach clenched with worry; he might’ve suffered more damage than it appeared.  Bucky smoothed back the blond hair plastered to his forehead, and the man shivered at the touch.  That sense was alright, then, and sight as well.  “Can you hear me?”

“Y-Yeah,” he answered, in a voice deep as the ocean floor, if a little gravelly from the saltwater.  “You,” he panted, “you – “

He was cut off by loud roaring, which drew both of their attentions to the missile-like figure soaring towards them.  Bucky had kept track of their inventions as best he could, but a flying suit of armor?  Amazing. Humans were curious creatures, at times.

“Cap!” a mechanical voice screeched when he was nearer.  The metal man's landing sprayed sand everywhere before his helmet popped open, the face inside bearing a look of fury.  “What the fuck was that?!”

“Language,” the man – Cap, an odd name – replied as he sat up, a hint of a smile ghosting over his face. 

“Oh my g – listen here, Grandpa, the next time you tumble into the ocean to your death, I’m leaving you for the sharks,” the robot man threatened.  His glare didn't hide the fear in his eyes, though.  “Avengers have a one-strike policy on shark rescues.”

 Just then, he seemed to notice Bucky for the first time fear turning to surprise and utter confusion.  “Um, Cap?  Why is there a naked Adonis sitting shiva for you?”

“I’m not dead, Tony,” Cap snapped, cheeks regaining some color in a blush.  Bucky chuckled under his breath, amused at their interaction.  He, too, often griped playfully with those who knew his sense of humor.

“There are no sharks here,” he offered with a charming smile.  “Only crashing waves, deadly rocks on shore, freezing riptides…”

Tony seemed a little dazed, but he recovered quickly.  “See?  Even the crazy naked swimmer thinks you should be more careful.  Listen to crazy naked swimmer.”  He blinked once.  “Words I never thought I’d say.”

“I’m fine,” Cap insisted, standing up quickly and swaying a little.  Bucky shot up and steadied him, a hand on his broad shoulder. 

“Sure, and the net worth of the vibranium you lost isn’t more than my next paycheck,” Tony grumbled.  “And you – we were a mile out, and you swam him all the way back?  It’s fucking freezing!”

Bucky shrugged, grinning.  “As you say, I’m a crazy naked swimmer.”

Tony looked to Cap, who just shrugged as well.  “Fine!” he yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.  “Natasha and EMS are two minutes out, and I have to scour the ocean floor for your Frisbee. You owe me hair products for the next year.”  With that, the faceplate snapped down, and in an instant, he’d taken off and disappeared.

Bucky laughed again, and Cap turned towards him.  “Sorry, about Tony, he’s – well…”

“Crass, arrogant, demanding,” Bucky supplied, “but kind-hearted.”  His own heart panged a little; clearly, this man wasn’t in further need.  “I’ll leave you to your friends,” he murmured, dropping the hand from Cap’s shoulder.  "I wish you the best the world can offer."  He sighed to himself as he walked away, left with a frustrated and despondent heart.        

"No, wait!" Cap called out, just as he was about to grasp his seal-skin. "Please, you – you saved me. I knew you would."

Bucky whirled around, surprised.  Cap continued, "I know who you are, I – my mother told me stories.  I always knew they were true."  His accompanying smile dazzled like sunlight on the seas.  "Thank you."

Bucky slowly approached him again, an odd feeling twisting in his chest.  It was what he’d felt all day, the deep ache pulling, demanding.  And now, something about this man… drew him in, like the tide to the shore.  So many he had rescued, from the perils of the sea or the torture of their loneliness, as his kind was blessed to do.  But none had ever known him, called to him before he reached out.  None even believed in his kind’s existence any longer, nor in any of those that lived in harmony with the magic surrounding all.

None, except this man, who Bucky decided then to look upon, truly, when he stood mere inches away.  "Gods," he whispered, searching into ocean-deep, shining-blue eyes.  "You..."

Cap was mesmerized in his stare, jaw slackening and tensions relaxing, hypnotized by the seductive power Bucky wielded to search the caverns of his soul.  It was _beautiful_ - full of kindness, strength, courage and unceasing goodness, a golden light casting out every shadow.  Bucky smirked, spying a mischievous, rebellious streak that ran deep.  Cap was far too stubborn for his own good, but always for the good of others. 

But through it all, there lay a deep yearning – no, a twisting, tarnished spiral of need, desperate and wanting.  To love and be loved, to be seen for himself without the expectations with which he and others burdened him.  To release his cares for just a moment, to be free of the weight of expectancy.  To be lifted up and taken care of, even just once.  To be a little smaller than the lengths to which he was stretched.

He refused to let this part of him be seen, Bucky knew, hidden in order to satisfy the expectations of others.  The sheer capacity for love, the devotion he craved to give and receive – it was astounding.  But this man was left so empty, a sea-cave devoid of light, so alone even amongst the crowds of others in his life. 

"You are... so lonely," he breathed, chest tightening at the raw, naked ache inside this beautiful man.  His hand stroked smooth skin, freckles dotting here and there.  "Always sacrificing your needs for others, always choosing dissatisfaction for your reward.  Why do you punish yourself so?"

Bucky reached forward, seeking permission, and the man’s soul  _begged_  for it, yearning, pleading.  At the lightest touch of fingertips to cheek, it settled, content in the slightest embrace.  Bucky gasped softly, something deep within snapping into place.  The hole in his heart filled to the brim in an instant, dark emptiness replaced with shining light.

His human – and somehow, already, by fate or by chance, this man was now  _his human_  – gaped at him, enraptured.  "I – I don't – " he whispered, ragged and hoarse.

"Hush," Bucky murmured, raising his other hand to the star-covered chest.  Laying it over Cap's heart, he let his magic flow, rushing like sparkling water from his fingertips.  "It's alright," he soothed, caressing the troubled soul within.  "I'm going to take care of you." 

The words slipped out without thought, but they rang true from the core of his being.  He was meant to do this, he knew, and he smiled at the surety of his realization.  Selkies were granted the gift of caring for others, and he would care for this man always.  

His human gasped, leaning into Bucky's touch with a quiet mewl, eyes falling shut.  "Please, please..."

"Not here,  _a mhuirnín_ ," Bucky said, "not yet.  Have patience,  _mo ghrianín_."  A drop of saltwater trickled down from golden hair, and he impulsively leaned in and tasted it, a kitten-lick over a strong, noble jaw.  The man smelled of the seas, like wind and spray and foam, but tasted of sun-kissed skin and earthen musk.  Oh, but he was heavenly, and Bucky silently thanked  _Máthair na Aigéin_  for her generous gift.  He would spend the rest of his days earning this reward so benevolently granted him.

He met the man's eyes again, and was pleased to see them hazy, relaxed, completely at peace.  Bucky glanced down and smiled.  The man was impressively hard beneath his clothes, his soul almost singing with need.  As it should be, he thought.  A perfect match to his own aching, heated desires, newly born but no less enduring.  Thoughts of this man beneath him, crying his release at Bucky’s pleasuring, coiled heat deep in his belly. 

"Wh - what did those words mean?" Cap voiced, words slurring a little.

Bucky met his eyes once more, smile fond and gentle. "Darling, my little sunshine.  The beautiful gift of light  _Máthair na Aigéin_  has given to me."  Another gentle press of his lips to the man's jaw, then he stepped back.  His human whined, following his motion almost drunkenly.  

"Soon," he comforted, then glanced over his shoulder. A boat was speeding around the corner, bright red hair visible across the water.  "Your friends are worried, and we both must make provisions.  Meet me here, tonight, when Cerridwen is high overhead."

"I - yes," his human whispered back. "Wait!" he called again as Bucky turned to leave.  "What's your name?"

"Bucky," he replied, bestowing another soft smile. "And yours is Cap?"

With a slight shudder, he answered, "N-no, that’s a – it’s Steve."

"Steve.”  He cherished it, the shape of it in his mouth.  “Return tonight, Steve,  _mo ghrianín_.  I will be waiting," he vowed.  He slipped into his skin and back to the sea in the blink of an eye, before he was too tempted to remain.  There was preparation to be done first.

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

“I have to go back,” Steve insisted, trying to push past Natasha out of the safe house.  “He’s waiting, I have to – “

“Steve,” she growled, frightening despite her tiny frame.  “He’s not.”

“He is, he promised – “

“You’re injured, Steve!” she said, fierce and protective.  “Anyone else would’ve died from that fall, or drowned after.  If Tony didn’t see this Bucky, I wouldn’t even think he was real, much less that he…”

“That he, what?” Steve asked, low and intense. 

“…seduced you, somehow,” she finished.  “It sounds insane.  You know that, right?”

“I don’t care,” Steve breathed, almost frantic.  “I don’t care, I don’t – he promised, I have to go.”

Natasha looked askance at the weak rebuttal.  “What if he’s not there?  What happens then?”

Steve shook his head, heart pounding in his chest.  What if?  

The memory of soft, storm-gray eyes, of wild hair and scruff around a devastatingly handsome face hadn't left his thoughts since they'd parted.  He was the most entrancing, beautiful man he’d ever seen.  Then a few whispered words, a gentle caress, and Steve was addicted to his presence, to how protected, cherished, safe and  _small_  he felt in his embrace, at his smile.  Steve hadn’t been so at peace since… he couldn’t remember when.  The thought of Bucky lying, laughing, leaving…

No.  His mother hadn’t lied, she hadn’t.  Magic or madness –  _magic_ , his soaring heart whispered – he didn’t care.  “He will be.  He has to be.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, worry coming out in exasperation.  “He’s crazy naked swimmer, as Tony insisted on calling him.  Why do you trust him?”

Steve shook his head again, trying to keep his hands from trembling.  “He’s more than that.”

“What is he, then?”

Steve swallowed heavily.  “He’s waiting for me.”    

With a final sigh, Natasha stood aside, arms crossed over her chest.  “I don’t like seeing you hurt, Steve,” she murmured.

Steve leaned down and kissed her cheek, almost giddy with anticipation.  “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

The full moon was high overhead, sparkling light on gentle waves as Steve sprinted from his motorcycle down to the beach.  “Bucky!”

He stopped to take off his shoes, sand sticking to his toes, and he splashed ankle-deep into the water.  “Bucky!” he shouted again, heart pounding with adrenaline and anticipation.  The beach was visible for miles in either direction, the moonlight almost day-bright.  He searched up and down, all over the shore.  He was alone.

“Bucky?” he called, hands starting to tremble.  He would come, he promised, he –

He was a selkie.  Selkies could look into your soul, read your true measure, and if you were found lacking…

If darkness poisoned your heart, they could be powerfully mischievous.  

Steve gritted his teeth against a sudden wave of anguish churning inside.  He was nothing special, just a scrawny, scrappy kid from Brooklyn.  He wasn’t enough.  He wasn’t good.  He tried, he craved to be, but... he wasn't good enough. 

He choked off a keening cry, collapsing to his knees, breath shuddering and body shaking.  He was alone.  He was meant to be alone.  He didn’t deserve more.  

A salty wind whipped his face raw as he sobbed his harrowing grief.  He could barely breathe through the gash ripped through his heart, and he cast about wildly for any distraction.  Wetness chilled on his face, and he counted the tears spilling down, peppering the waves with added salt.  One.  Two.  Three.  Four.  Five.  Six...

“Steve!” a deep, terrified voice rang out.  A warm smooth hand cupped his cheek, stopping the seventh tear halfway down.  “Steve, _a mhuirnín_ , what’s wrong?  What’s happened?” Bucky asked frantically, dropping down in front of him and searching his eyes. 

Steve gasped, grabbing at Bucky’s arm, limbs weak with relief.  The ethereal peace he'd felt at their first meeting spread through him, ebbing and flowing, calming his panic.

“Oh,  _mo ghrianín_ ,” Bucky whispered, drawing him into his arms.  “I’m here.  I promised you, and I meant it.”

Steve collapsed in his embrace, surrendering to whatever spell was filling the loneliness deep inside.  Bucky clutched him to his chest, one hand across his back, the other cradling his head in the crook of his neck.  “It’s alright,” Bucky whispered in his ear.  “You’ll be alright.  I'm here, I'll never leave you.”

When Steve’s breathing had at last calmed, Bucky drew back, tilting Steve’s chin up to meet his eyes.  God, but he was the most beautiful sight Steve had ever seen.  “Steve,” he murmured, smiling tenderly, “ _mo chroí_.  I have something to tell you.”

Steve nodded weakly.  “We were brought together,” Bucky began, “by the Mother of Oceans herself.  She brought me to save you, and I loved you the moment I looked into your soul.  And if you would have me, I would pledge myself to you, forever.  But, only if you feel the same.”

Steve gaped at him, unable to believe it.  Bucky’s smile widened.  “You have to say it out loud, my love.”

“Yes,” he gasped, “yes,  _yes_  – “

He was cut off by Bucky’s lips capturing his own, deep and claiming and triumphant.  Steve melted into the touch, all his sorrow turned to joy.  “You’ve no idea the gift you’ve given me, the gift that you are,” Bucky whispered before diving back in.  He kissed him again and again, devouring every inch of Steve’s mouth with equal love and ardor.  “The goodness inside you, it shines so bright.”

Steve whimpered, crushing their lips together.  He couldn’t get enough, couldn't get close enough.  The taste and smell and feel of him, the way his hands held him tight and promised to never let go; Steve was obsessed.  “I love you,” he managed to whisper when he pulled back for air.  “I don’t even know you, but I – I do.”

“Your soul welcomes my own,” Bucky said tenderly, kissing up and down his jawline.  “You love my deepest self, and it is enough.  The rest, we shall discover together, in time.”  He leaned back on his heels, eyes sparkling in the moonlight.  “But come,” he instructed, taking Steve’s hands and bringing them to their feet.  “I have prepared everything.”

Steve inhaled sharply, realizing they weren’t alone.  To their right stood a group of men and women, all holding bundles of furs, each tall, graceful, and beautiful in a familiar way.  This must be his pod.  “Bucky,” he choked out, “your family, I – ”

“You are part of it now,” Bucky proclaimed, “as I am part of yours.”  He gestured behind them, and Steve whirled around.  None other than Natasha, Tony, and the rest of the Avengers were approaching, a few in t-shirts and pajama pants, varying degrees of confusion on every face. 

“Steve?” Sam called out, eyebrows raised.  “Would you care to explain how I opened the closet door in my apartment and ended up here?”

“Same, and um, and maybe what the hell crazy naked swimmer is doing here, along with crazy naked swimmer family?” Tony added.  Natasha appeared expressionless, but her eyes took in everything.  Thor smiled wide, and Clint and Bruce just looked at each other and shrugged. 

“How?” Steve breathed in wonder, turning back to Bucky.

“You doubt still the magic that brought us together?” he answered with a grin.  “I will prove it to you every day.”

“Friends,” an old woman in the group of selkies called, voice clear and bright as crystal waters.  “You are welcome here, as witnesses and loved ones, to our most sacred of ceremonies.  James, are you and Steve ready to begin?”

“My name is Bucky,  _Máthair_ ,” Bucky sighed, and Steve giggled, overflowing with happiness.  Bucky flashed him a secret smile, then took his hands and brought him knee-deep into the water, Avengers and selkies watching.  Bucky’s mother followed them out, standing behind them as they faced each other.  Steve fleetingly thought he should be nervous, in the presence of gods and magic and Fae.  But looking at the vision before him, he knew in his heart he had finally found home again. 

Bucky's mother began speaking in a foreign language, gesturing fluidly towards the sky.  Steve looked to Bucky in confusion.  “She is welcoming the Mother of Oceans, thanking her for the blessings she has bestowed,” he whispered, smoothing a thumb over the back of Steve’s hand.  “And she thanks the witnesses here, for sharing our joy.” 

Suddenly, the woman bent down, scooping up handfuls of clear, sparkling water. She then reached up and sprinkled droplets over their heads, and Steve felt something more than water trickle down, like sparks dancing across his skin.  The next moment, they were both dressed in soft white linen, Steve with a necklace of sand dollars and shark teeth that perfectly matched the crown on Bucky’s head.

Back on shore, Steve heard Sam exclaim, “Okay, what the actual hell?”  

Clint’s voice answered, “I’m just rolling with it.”  Steve’s grin widened.

“Steve,  _mo ghrianín_ ,” Bucky murmured, squeezing his hands.  “Repeat after me.”  At Steve’s nod, he proclaimed, and Steve followed after:

 

_“In ainm an draíocht_

_Go chónaisceann an domhan le chéile_

_Anois agus i gcónaí_

_Geallaim féin a thabhairt duit_

_Talún agus mara_

_Is é mo chroí laistigh tú.”_

 

 

A warm, swirling breeze picked up around them, and the light of the moon bathed them in a silvery glow as they finished.  Bucky’s mother smiled, eyes misty, as another selkie solemnly approached, bearing a seal-skin.  Bucky released Steve’s hands to take it from her.  “I offer this to you,” he vowed, “the means by which my kind are blessed to aid humans in their times of need.  I would stand by your side, be your strength, and care for you forever, if you would be mine in return.”

“Yes,” Steve breathed, and with trembling hands, he took the soft, heavy skin into his arms.  Bucky’s smile in return outshone the sun.

“Well, as the humans say,” Bucky’s mother proclaimed, “you both now may kiss.”

With a jubilant shout, Bucky rushed at Steve, picking him up and spinning them around.  He stopped only to kiss him hungrily, and Steve’s heart burst with joy.  The selkies whooped and yelled, Steve’s friends clapping and cheering and whistling.

“Wait,” Steve said, grinning euphorically as he pulled back, cheeks flushed red.  “I want to give you something too, hang on – “

“I thought you might wish to,” Thor called out from shore.  “I took the liberty of retrieving it for you.”  From behind his back, he pulled out Steve’s shield, shining silver in the moonlight.

“How on earth did you know?” Bruce asked in surprise.

“I have tried to tell you all many times of the magic Asgardians have practiced for millennia.  I was taught some Midgardian customs as well,” Thor shrugged as he passed the shield to Steve.  “None of you ever believed me.”        

Steve just shook his head, cheeks aching from smiling, and splashed back out to Bucky.  “I use this to help people, too,” he explained.  “And, uh, I’ll need it back every once in a while.  But, if you’ll have it, it’s yours.”  He felt his blush deepen, then murmured solely for his love's ears, "As am I."

“Steve,” Bucky murmured, eyes widened in awe.  “Yes,” he echoed, taking the shield into his arms as they grinned like fools at each other.

“Well, alright!” Clint shouted.  “Random magic seal people marriage ceremony, check!  Let’s get dancing!  Where’s the cake?”

 

* * *   * * *   * * *

 

 

 

Epilogue: 

 

The instant the door closed behind them, Bucky pushed back, crowding Steve against it.  A fierce grin, then his lover attacked his mouth in a hot, passionate kiss.  One hand held the back of his neck, and the other snuck up his shirt, teasing a nipple.  Steve gasped and moaned, grinding roughly against him.  Bucky pressed even closer, and Steve clung to him, burning with need.

“B-Bucky, please,” he begged.  Bucky growled his pleasure, sucking open kisses along his neck. 

“What do you need,  _a mhuirnín_?” he asked, cupping a hand over Steve’s hard, aching cock, clearly visible through the thin pants.  “I will give it to you, anything.”

“ _You_ ,” Steve gasped, almost dizzy with arousal.  He’d never felt anything like this, unhinged with need for Bucky’s touch, his claim over him.

Without warning, Bucky hoisted Steve into his arms, locking his legs around his waist, and the press of his cock against Bucky’s firm abdomen made him cry out.  “You have me,  _mo ghrianín_ , always,” Bucky swore, walking them to the bed.  He laid Steve out then crowded over him, pressing him into the mattress.  “As many times as you can, you shall have me,” he grinned, reaching down to tease Steve’s cock, massaging ever-so-gently. 

Steve choked back a sob at the touch, mindless with desire.  With his other hand, Bucky rucked up Steve’s shirt and kissed up his abdomen.  A tongue flicked over a nipple, and Steve threw his head back into the pillow, panting.

“I have seen what you need, my love,” Bucky murmured, breath cool on heated skin.  “Let go.  I will catch you.”

“Oh, god, please,” Steve pleaded.  At the first touch of a slick finger to his hole, he gasped, falling limp.  The feeling of floating euphoria returned tenfold, and he dimly recognized Bucky’s magic for what it was this time.  He sank helplessly into it, never so content.

“That’s it,” Bucky praised, easing in.  “So beautiful, Steve.  Every part of you was made for this.”  Steve moaned at his words, heat building and rising inside.  He lost track of time, floating away on the feeling.  

He was brought back by the touch of skin on naked, heated skin, gasping his pleasure.  Somehow, Bucky had removed all their clothes, the scent of his bare skin musky and strong.  The first brush of their cocks together made them both groan, and Steve swallowed a sob. 

“Oh,” he breathed, “please Bucky, I want you inside of me.”

Bucky chuckled low, and then there were two fingers pumping in and out.  “Patience, my beautiful human,  _ghrá mo chroí_.  We have forever.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> a mhuirnín - darling  
> mo ghrianín - my little sunshine  
> Máthair na Aigéin - the Mother of Oceans, Bucky's patron goddess  
> Cerridwen - Celtic goddess of the moon  
> mo chroí - my heart  
> Máthair - Mother  
> ghrá mo chroí - love of my heart
> 
> The ceremonial vow:  
> In the name of the magic  
> That binds the world together  
> Now and always  
> I promise you  
> Land and sea  
> My heart is within you
> 
> (I used Google Translate, I'm so sorry) (Also I told you how sappy this would be, you were warned)


End file.
